PRESS RELEASE FROM
OFFICE OF
THE SIERRA LEONE
PRESIDENT
On
Tuesday the 20th
of February 2007,
President Alhaji Dr
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of
the Republic of Sierra
Leone and President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of
the Republic of Liberia
held a one-day
consultative Summit with
the President of the
Republic of Guinea,
General Lansana Conte in
Conakry.
It will
be recalled that about a
month ago, the Trade
Union Movement in the
Republic of Guinea
called for a strike
action against the
Government. That
strike action has
developed into an ugly
confrontation between
Government security
forces and the general
public resulting in
several deaths.
Although
attempts have been made
in order to have a
peaceful resolution of
the problem, there seems
to be an impasse. The
objective of the visit
of the two Presidents
was therefore to have a
first hand account of
the situation in Guinea
from President Lansana
Conte and to discuss
with him how to resolve
the impasse.
President
Lansana Conte expressed
gratitude to the
visiting Presidents for
the concern expressed by
them and for the offer
of assistance to him.
He informed them that he
had made efforts to meet
part of the demands of
the Trade Union Movement
by appointing a new
Prime Minister. This
however does not seem to
satisfy the Trade Union
Movement and hence the
impasse.
Notwithstanding, he
however expressed the
desire to move the
process forward
promising that in two
weeks time he would come
up with a new decision
to address the impasse.
Meanwhile, he was
extending an invitation
through the two
Presidents to the Trade
Union Movement and the
Civil Society of Guinea
to make suggestions on
the way forward
including possible names
for consideration for
the position of a new
Prime Minister, to
enable him reach a
decision that will be
acceptable to all
Guineans.
While
President Kabbah was
briefing journalists
about the outcome of
their visit to Guinea,
one of the journalists
enquired about news of
further deterioration of
security in the country
including possible
incursion of rebels from
neighbouring countries.
In
response, the two
Presidents assured the
Guinean people of their
readiness at all times
to activate and
collaborate with Guinean
authorities in the
implementation of the
Security Protocols of
the Mano River Union in
order to maintain
security and preserve
the territorial
integrity of Guinea and
their own countries.
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